Christian Atsu is still missing in Turkey after a devastating earthquake hit the country on Monday, the footballer’s partner has said.
According to reports, the former Newcastle United player and a few of his Hatayspor teammates were trapped under the rubble when the structure they were in collapsed.
After earthquakes struck both countries, it is now known that more than 22,000 people died in Turkey and Syria.
Despite some earlier reports claiming that Christian Atsu had been taken to the hospital after being extricated from the rubble, his partner Claire Rupio has confirmed that the 31-year-old has not yet been located.
Claire made an appearance on BBC News and said:
“All I know is that currently his agent is in Turkey, and he’s trying to get to the place where it happened.
“They know where the building is, and they’re trying their best to rescue everybody. They know that there are people still under the rubble, but the problem is that they don’t have the equipment necessary to get them out.
“So he is still missing, and we don’t know where he is,” she confirmed.
Claire, who confirmed that they last spoke to him on Saturday morning, shed tears as she talked about the nightmare experience on both herself and her children.
When questioned about the barrage of contradictory information that has been leaking out of the Turkey amid the chaos, she replied:
“It was quite shocking, as you can imagine, with the club confirming that he has been found alive and taken to hospital.
“And 11 hours later, my children had to hear it from the radio that they still don’t know where he is. I know that his agent is there and they are trying their best to find him, so I trust that he will bring me obviously good news that I can trust, if he sees him or speaks to him…. but it’s quite confusing, everything.
“All I can say is that I know the rescuers are trying their best, working day and night to rescue everybody. I just feel for everybody who, like me and my children, has been in the unknown not knowing whether their loved ones are alive or not.”
Claire also put an appeal to high officials: “I’ll just appeal to the Hatayspor club, the Turkish authorities and British government to send out the equipment to get the people out that are still trapped in the rubble especially for my partner and father of my children – because time is running [out]”
She added that she was “praying” and still believe that her partner would be found alive.
